3D Printing Is Just Around Your Corner

It won’t be long before everyone knows somebody who has a 3D printer. I’ve been at this for 1 year now and I have had close encounters with hobbyists and professionals from all walks of life. Here are some examples where you might find a 3D printer tucked away in a home, dorm room, small business, office or warehouse.

Look down! RC (remote control) formula one 3D models are available to 3D print by hobbyists with a staggering 36,450 downloads on thingiverse.com. Great project for someone who loves to tinker. Just about any hobby can be enhanced with 3d printing.

The 3D printing industry has spawned many new businesses. This small business Mut Dut has used 3d printing to prototype and develop flexible, reusable ties that can connect everything and will be lauching on Kickstarter in October. I’ve started a small business selling 3D printing supplies. Diabase Engineering, another small business, offers Rapid Prototyping and Advanced 3D Printing as well as doing their own product development

Aleph Objects was recently named the Fastest-Growing Privately Held Computer Hardware Company in the U.S., ranked at no. 122 in Inc. Magazine’s list. Aleph Objects achieved 2,782 percent three-year sales growth of the company’s award-winning LulzBot line of desktop 3D printers, parts, and plastics. I own one of their printers and as I always say “I love my mini!”

Just as schools invested in computer labs years ago, they are investing in 3d printers for their science and technology programs. 3D models and STEM kits help get the concepts across. “There’s just a lot of action, a lot of learning going on and it’s really really good. And they liked it. I had a student that asked ‘Can we do more things like this?’”